Device and method for making up optical fibers

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a device ( 1 ) and a method for making up a multiplicity of synchronously produced individual optical fibers ( 2 ), in particular multicomponent glass fibers, from a multifiber drawing installation, with a drawing installation ( 3 ) and a take-up winder ( 4 ) for winding up the fibers as a fiber bundle ( 2 ) on a take-up spool ( 17 ).  
     In order to produce and make up the fiber bundle ( 2 ) from a multiplicity of simultaneously drawn individual fibers ( 2 ) with little effort and at low cost while maintaining predetermined quality requirements, it is proposed according to the invention that the drawing installation ( 3 ) has means for producing an identical, constant drawing rate of the fibers ( 2 ) and that the take-up winder ( 4 ) has a compensating device ( 5 ) to compensate for differences in speed of the fibers ( 2 ) between the drawing installation ( 3 ) and the take-up spool ( 17 ).  
     This achieves the effect that each individual fiber ( 2 ) is produced under the same conditions. Fluctuations of the fiber diameter during production of the fibers ( 2 ) are avoided. An identical drawing rate of all the fibers ( 2 ) is made possible. The fibers ( 2 ) are passed at a substantially constant rate to the take-up winder ( 4 ) and further processed continuously. The speed of the drawing installation ( 3 ) is kept unchanged during the drawing of the fibers ( 2 ).  
     In an advantageous way, the fiber bundle ( 2 ) can be made up without any reaction on the drawing rate, thereby also avoiding reactions on the melting process.

The invention relates to a device and a method for making up amultiplicity of synchronously produced individual optical fibers, inparticular multicomponent glass fibers, from a multifiber drawinginstallation, with a drawing installation and a take-up winder forwinding up the fibers on a take-up spool.

Multifiber drawing installations for producing glass fibers are known inthe prior art. In this prior art, optical fibers are melted frompreforms in a draw furnace and passed by means of a drawing installationto a take-up winder, by means of which the fibers are are wound up on atake-up spool. In this respect, a distinction is drawn in the prior artbetween types of production, which depend substantially on the type andquality of the glass fibers to be produced, or the rate of fibercreation and the number of glass fibers to be produced simultaneously.

The preforms comprise at least a rod of a specific glass material with apredetermined diameter. For the use of multicomponent glass fibers inglass fiber bundles, however, it is necessary that the glass fibers havea certain quality with regard to the diameter of each glass fiber or thediameter variance of a number of glass fibers produced simultaneously,an optimum reflectivity being necessary for the light conducted throughthe glass fiber. These properties are achieved in the case ofmulticomponent glass fibers by multi-layered preforms, which comprise acore rod and, for example, a cladding tube. The glass fibers drawn fromthis have a core and a cladding connected thereto. In this case, thehigh reflection properties are produced by the cladding, which has aspecific refractive index. The core rod consists of a material with ahigher refractive index than the cladding material, in order to ensurethe light-conducting and optical properties.

When melting the preform, the dripping of the first glass drop has theeffect that the cladding material is drawn over the core material andthe two materials unite.

To keep the material thicknesses constant and to create optimal opticalproperties of the different materials in the glass fibers, it isnecessary that the diameters of the glass fibers are kept constant. Inaddition, the temperature profiles in the fiber furnace are of decisiveimportance for the optical and mechanical properties of themulticomponent glass fibers produced from them.

US 2003/0079501 A1 discloses a multiple drawing installation for glassfibers which are drawn from single-layer preforms. These preformsgenerally consist of quartz glass, which is melted at 2000° C. in a drawfurnace. From the draw furnace, a fiber is drawn off, its diameter ischecked or measured with regard to accuracy by corresponding means in adraw tower and it is subsequently coated with a polymer material. Afterthat, the glass fiber is wound up on a take-up spool. The glass fibersproduced in this way from quartz glass are usually used intelecommunications technology or for data transmission.

Because of the increased requirements on the accuracy of the diameterand because of the consequently necessitated testing measures, they arealways drawn individually and also individually post-processed after thedraw furnace. The improvements which were recognized by US 2003/0079501A1 in comparison with the known production of individual fibers are thata number of autonomously operating devices for producing individualfibers can be connected in parallel, in order to allow a correspondingnumber of glass fibers to be produced simultaneously.

This type of production is unsuitable for the creation of multicomponentglass fibers, since in optical systems comprising multicomponent glassfibers it is possible to use a multiplicity of glass fibers in glassfiber bundles which have to satisfy different requirements with regardto the accuracy of the diameter and the coating. It has been found thatcost-effective production of such glass fiber bundles with individualfiber drawing devices is not possible even if a number of them areconnected in parallel.

In particular, it has been found as a disadvantage of such devices that,in spite of the parallel connection of a number of individual fiberdrawing installations, the number of glass fibers remains restrictedconsiderably below what is necessary. The post-processing relating tothe individual fiber also entails considerable costs, so that thecreation of fiber bundles for optical systems from multicomponent glassfibers would be uneconomical.

In comparison with the glass fibers used for data transmission, theconcern in the case of glass fiber bundles comprising multicomponentglass fibers is less for the quality of the individual fibers than forthe quality of the complete glass fiber bundle. In addition, unlike inthe case of data transmission fibers, considerations ofcost-effectiveness play a significantly greater role for the use ofglass fiber bundles comprising multicomponent glass fibers.

Known for this are drawing installations in which a multiplicity ofglass fibers are drawn and post-processed as fiber bundles. Each glassfiber is in this case drawn from a preform. In order to obtain thedesired number of glass fibers, a corresponding number of preforms aresynchronously melted.

The preforms comprise in this case a core rod and a cladding tube withdifferent glass materials, each material having a specific composition,in order to ensure the desired optical properties of the multicomponentglass fibers drawn from them. Each preform usually comprises in thiscase a core rod and at least one cladding tube. For the meltingoperation, the core rod is arranged in the cladding tube and they arefastened together on a corresponding suspension. The suspensions withthe individual preforms are fastened in a corresponding number next toone another on a supporting plate and can be introduced in this way intothe heating bushes of a draw furnace. Each preform is in this caseassigned to a heating bush. The heating bushes in the draw furnace andthe suspensions of the preforms on the supporting plate are arranged ina corresponding way in this case.

In order to allow the preforms to be introduced into the draw furnaceand melted in accordance with the principles of the mass flow law, thesupporting plate is equipped with a suitable follow-up device, whichpermits a predetermined synchronous advancement of all the preforms.Furthermore, the draw furnace or the heating bushes have correspondingmeans for temperature control, so that the glass fibers can be drawnfrom the preforms under the same melting conditions.

In order to ensure in an adequate way the optical requirements imposedon the glass material of the glass fibers and the physical properties ofthe fiber bundles created with them, adequate processing accuracy duringthe melting and drawing operation must be ensured, it being necessary inparticular to avoid fluctuations of the temperature and of the drawingrate on the individual fibers and consequently fluctuations in thediameter of the fibers. In this respect, according to the mass flow law,the mass of the molten glass material and the mass of the glass materialdrawn off as glass fiber should be constant.

Furthermore, the number of fibers per fiber bundle is to remain thesame; therefore, looping and breakage of individual fibers duringdrawing and making-up are to be avoided. In addition, it may beexpedient for all the fibers to be uniformly provided with size.Finally, during making-up it must be ensured that the fiber bundle iswound up on the take-up spool in such a way that it can be unwound againfrom the take-up spool without any problem during the furtherprocessing, without any damage occurring to the fiber bundles or theindividual fibers.

In order that the production of the fiber bundles can be performedcost-effectively, it must be ensured that a multiplicity of fibers canbe processed simultaneously.

It has been found that, with individual guidance of the fibers, asrepresented in the aforementioned prior art, with subsequent testing andcoating, the aforementioned requirements for cost-effectiveness cannotbe ensured.

It is consequently the object of the invention to overcome thedisadvantages of the prior art and in particular to provide a device anda method for making up optical fibers, with it being possible for fiberbundles to be produced and made up from a multiplicity of individualfibers with little effort and at low cost while maintaining theaforementioned quality requirements, synchronous, uniform processing ofthe individual fibers drawn simultaneously from the draw furnace anddirect continuous making-up of the fiber bundles produced from thembeing ensured and defect-free further processing of the made-up fiberbundles being made possible.

A way of achieving this object is provided according to the invention bya device according to the characterizing features of claim 1 and by amethod according to the characterizing features of claim 21.Developments according to the invention are described by the respectivesubclaims.

The device according to the invention is characterized in that thedrawing installation has means for producing an identical, constantdrawing rate of the fibers and in that the take-up winder has acompensating device to compensate for differences in speed of the fibersbetween the drawing installation and the take-up spool.

The means for producing an identical, constant drawing rate of theindividual fibers achieves the effect that each individual fiber isproduced under the same conditions. In particular, the effect isachieved that fluctuations of the fiber diameter during production of afiber are avoided. The fluctuations can consequently be keptadvantageously in a tolerance range of below 1 μm. Identical drawingrates of all the fibers allow differences between the individual fibersto be kept small or to be avoided virtually completely.

The compensating device achieves the effect that the fibers passed at asubstantially constant rate from the drawing installation to the take-upwinder can be further processed continuously.

The speed of the drawing installation has great influence on the fiberquality and must therefore be kept constant. According to the invention,the speed of the take-up winder is therefore controlled by means of thecompensating device in accordance with the speed of the drawinginstallation. This achieves the advantageous effect that the fiberbundle can be wound up without any reaction on the drawing rate, therebyalso avoiding reactions on the melting process.

In the drawing installation, the individual fibers run through a sizingbath and are uniformly coated with sizing agent. It is also providedaccording to the invention that the fibers can be brought together inthe drawing installation to form a fiber bundle. This achieves theadvantageous effect that the fibers are bundled with the still moistsizing composition and dry as fiber bundles. Consequently, the fiberbundle can be handled better during further processing, since theindividual fibers adhere to one another as a result of the sizingcomposition.

For making up the fiber bundle, it is proposed by the invention that thetake-up winder has a fiber guiding unit and that the fiber bundle can becontinuously displaced on the take-up spool by means of the fiberguiding unit. It is consequently possible in an advantageous way to windup the finished fiber bundle in an orderly manner on the take-up spool.This avoids any instances of damage to the fiber bundle that could ariseas a result of disorderly windings. Furthermore, the effect is achievedthat the take-up spool can be unwound again without any problem, so thatdefects during the further processing, for example cladding the fiberbundle in plastic, can be avoided.

For this purpose, it is provided that the fiber guiding unit has atleast one controllable excursion mechanism, which acts on a fiber guidewith a guiding roller for laying the fibers over the take-up spool.

An inventive development of the device is provided by the take-up winderhaving position-compensating means for adapting the fiber guiding unitto the changing wound-up radius and/or for shortening the winding widthof the layers of fiber on the take-up spool. It is consequently possibleto wind the fiber bundle onto the take-up spool with a precisionwinding.

The fiber bundle is in this case wound layer by layer onto the take-upspool, it being possible to take into account the changing of thedistance of the guiding roller from the last layer in each case. Thismakes it possible for the individual layers of the fiber bundles to belaid on the take-up spool under the same conditions. It is alsopossible, however, for the winding width of the layers to be reduced bya predetermined amount symmetrically on both sides, whereby it can beensured that the winding is stabilized in the lateral end positions. Asa result, increased securement at the edges of the layers on the take-upspool is achieved and uniform unwinding of the fiber bundle duringfurther processing is ensured.

Furthermore, any damage which could arise on fallen-off windings duringtransport and during the storage of the full take-up spools is avoided.Finally, the position-compensating means also achieves the advantageouseffect that the winding of each layer can be performed with constantfirmness.

This is achieved by the position-compensating means having at least onecontrollable excursion mechanism, with which the traveling displacementof the fiber guide and/or the guiding roller is controllable independence on the number of fiber layers on the take-up spool paralleland/or radially in relation to the axis of rotation of the take-upspool.

It is provided in this case that the respective number of layers isdetermined by means of a control unit and that the excursion mechanism,preferably a reverse-thread shaft, is correspondingly set, in order toachieve a shortening of the excursion to reduce the winding width. Inthis case, the traveling displacement of the fiber guide is changedparallel to the axis of rotation of the take-up spool.

It is also provided that a further excursion mechanism is acted on bythe control unit in a way corresponding to the number of layers, inorder to displace the fiber guide or the guiding roller radially inrelation to the axis of rotation of the take-up spool in dependence onthe number of layers, in order to maintain a substantially constantdistance of the guiding roller from the uppermost layer of the take-upspool and consequently achieve continuously high precision during thewinding-up.

It is provided according to the invention that the compensating devicehas means to compensate for the change in speed of the fiber bundle whenchanging layers and/or on account of the changing wound-up radius ofdifferent layers on the take-up spool. When changing layers at therespective turning points of the longitudinal excursion, the so-calledlaying advancement no longer exists. By shortening the excursion and atthe same time compensating for the changing of the take-up rate,loosening of the winding at the turning points is consequently avoided.

Furthermore, the drawing rate of the fiber bundle would increasecontinuously on account of the steadily increasing winding radius duringwinding-up. This must be avoided. The take-up rate is kept constant bythe compensating device according to the invention, in that therotational speed of the take-up spool is correspondingly adapted.

For this purpose, it is provided that the means for compensating for thechange in speed has a dancing arm, on which a deflection roller forguiding the fiber bundle is rotatably fastened and is held on thedancing arm pivotably about the mounting point of the dancing arm on oneside parallel to a plane of rotation of the take-up spool.

For suitable guidance of the fiber bundle, it is also provided that thedeflection roller and the take-up spool have axes of rotation that aresubstantially parallel to each other.

Furthermore, the compensation for the changes in speed is achieved bythe deflection roller being held on the dancing arm in such a way thatit can oscillate about the mounting point in relation to the pivotingmovement. The guidance of the fiber bundle arranged in this way makes itpossible to compensate for prolonged changes in speed by the pivotingmovement, while the oscillating capability of the deflection roller inrelation to the pivoting movement described above makes it possible in away according to the invention to compensate for brief changes in speed.

During the winding-up, the fiber bundle is displaced over the take-upspool, that is to say moved back and forth in the direction of thelongitudinal axis of the take-up spool. One layer is consequentlyapplied over the others on the take-up spool. At the turning points, theadvancement of the fiber guide is correspondingly changed from onedirection into the other direction, that is to say that the take-up rateof the fiber bundle temporarily drops on account of the changed rate ofadvancement at the turning points and then increases again. The changein speed takes place very quickly. In this case, it is required forprecise winding that the fiber bundle remains rigidly guided during theextremely short turning operation of the fiber guide. The dancing armtakes up these short changes in speed by the oscillating capability ofthe deflection roller. In this case, to compensate for the change inspeed, the deflection roller is moved out of a position of equilibriumbriefly and without the dancing arm as a whole being pivoted about themounting point, and it can quickly return again into the position ofequilibrium after the turning point.

For this purpose, it is advantageously provided that, to ensure apredetermined oscillating capability of the deflection roller fastenedto it, the dancing arm is produced from elastic material with apredetermined modulus of elasticity, preferably from plastic. As analternative to this, it is provided that, to ensure a predeterminedoscillating capability of the deflection roller fastened to it, thedancing arm has a predetermined material thickness and/or form ofmaterial.

To make it possible to compensate for the differences in speed in spiteof the return of the dancing arm, it is proposed according to theinvention that the dancing arm has at the mounting point an associatedangular resolver, by means of which data on angles of rotation can betransmitted to a speed controller for controlling the take-up rate ofthe take-up spool. It is consequently possible to compensatesystematically for differences in speed of the take-up winder during thewinding-up by changing the rotational speed. This takes place in anadvantageous way by means of the angular resolver, which senses theextent to which the dancing arm is pivoted for compensation, and therotational speed of the take-up spool is changed accordingly. Bychanging the rotational speed of the take-up spool, the dancing arm isreturned automatically into the position of equilibrium by means of acompensating force. The dancing arm is consequently always kept inequilibrium about the position of equilibrium.

Both compensating possibilities have the effect that the deflectingdisplacement of the fiber bundle in the fiber guide during thedeflection or the pivoting of the deflection roller is shortened orlengthened, so that the fiber bundle is laid with a correspondingtake-up rate on the take-up spool.

In order that values can be systematically prescribed not only forshortening the excursion but also for measures to compensate for thedifferences in speed and for the winding-up, it is proposed according tothe invention that the compensating device for compensating fordifferences in speed and/or the position-compensating means for adaptingthe fiber guiding unit can be controlled by means of a central dataprocessing unit.

It is also provided according to the invention that the dancing arm canbe set in a position of equilibrium during the drawing and winding-upoperation by means of a force, preferably a pneumatic or hydrauliccylinder. The position of equilibrium of the dancing arm is in this casefixed by the forces which act on the dancing arm on one side from thecylinder and on the other side from the fiber bundle. This achieves theeffect that the dancing arm sets itself at a predetermined angle withrespect to the fiber bundle during the drawing operation.

It is also provided that, in the event of an undesired fiber breakage orat the end of the fiber creation, for example if the glass material ofthe preforms is used up, the taking-up operation is discontinued. Forthis purpose, it is proposed according to the invention that, if thereis an interruption or abnormal termination of the drawing and taking-upoperation, the dancing arm can be made to travel into a neutral positionby means of a force, preferably a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder.

In the neutral position, according to the invention the take-up winderis then stopped. The dancing arm is also in the neutral position whenthe device is being set up, until the fiber bundle is fastened on thetake-up spool. Subsequently, the process is started and the dancing armis moved out of the neutral position, so that the speed controlleraccording to the invention is set to the drawing rate. It is ofadvantage in this case that all the fibers can be taken upsimultaneously when the device is being set up.

It is also provided that a tension can be set in the fiber bundle bymeans of the dancing arm, preferably by means of an adjustable pneumaticor hydraulic cylinder. The dancing arm is in this case acted on by meansof the pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder with an adjustable force, bywhich the tension for winding up the fiber bundle is produced in thefiber bundle. This tension permits firm, orderly winding.

In an advantageous way, it is possible in this case for all the measuresdescribed above to be realized by the same pneumatic or hydrauliccylinder.

Since the drawing process must not be interrupted, it is necessary thatthe making-up by means of the take-up spool is performed continuously.The winding-up process must therefore be continued uninterruptedly whenthe spool is changed. For this purpose, it is proposed according to theinvention that the take-up spool is fastened in an exchangeable manner.

As soon as the desired maximum winding length is reached on the take-upspool, a coil change is performed, it being provided that, for theexchange of the take-up spool, a replacement spool can be placed next tothe take-up spool in the direction of the spool axis and that the fiberguiding unit can be made to travel over the replacement spool or thereplacement spool can be made to travel under the fiber guiding unit forthe further laying of the fiber bundle.

It is in this case provided that, when changing the fiber bundle, therotational speed of the replacement spool can be controlled byclosed-loop and/or open-loop control from the full take-up spool bymeans of the compensating device via the central data processing unit.This achieves the effect that it is possible to compensate on the onehand for the traveling speed of the fiber guiding unit and on the otherhand for the changing of the wound-up radius between the full take-upspool and the empty replacement spool.

The completed wound-up spool can consequently be released from itsfastening. For this purpose, the full spool is stopped and replaced byan empty spool, which serves in the further process as a replacementspool.

According to the invention, the method for making up a multiplicity ofsynchronously produced individual optical fibers with the devicedescribed above is also provided, the fibers being coated with size andbundled and passed via deflecting means to the take-up winder.

To achieve the object according to the invention, it is proposed thatthe compensating device is used to compensate for differences in speedof the fiber bundle between the drawing installation and the take-upwinder.

This is achieved by compensation for changes in the take-up rate of thefiber bundle on the take-up spool being provided by the speedcontroller, by means of the data provided by the angular resolver, bychanging the rotational speed of the take-up spool and/or bytransmitting to the speed controller a signal for stopping the take-upwinder corresponding to the neutral position of the dancing arm. Thismakes it possible for the speed controller always to adapt therotational speed of the take-up spool to the drawing rate. In addition,it is possible for the take-up winder to stop automatically when thefiber bundle stops and the dancing arm travels into the neutralposition, in that a corresponding neutral-position signal, by which theend of the taking-up operation is initialized, is sent to the speedcontroller. Only once the fiber bundle has been set up again and thedancing arm is again drawn out of the neutral position by the fiberbundle is it possible to control the rotational speed of the take-upspool in a way corresponding to the drawing rate.

It is also provided according to the invention that, to produce aconstant tensile stress, the individual fibers are passed from thedrawing installation in band form over at least one sizing roller. Theindividual fibers in this case lie spaced apart next one another on thesizing roller. The sizing roller is located partly in a reservoir withsizing agent, the sizing agent uniformly wetting the surface of theroller. The sizing agent is then uniformly transferred from the surfaceof the roller onto the fibers in contact with it.

In this case, it is provided that the individual fibers are drawn alltogether, with the same drawing rate in each case, by means of thedrawing-off roller and passed via a secondary roller in a bundled mannerto the take-up winder. In the same way as during the sizing, the fibersare in this case passed in band form over the drawing-off roller. Thedownstream secondary roller ensures that the fibers are as far aspossible in contact over the entire circumference on the surface of thedrawing-off roller, in order that a transfer of the tensile force cantake place optimally and uniformly.

After the secondary roller, the fibers go over into a bundle. It issubsequently provided according to the invention that the fiber bundleis taken up by the take-up winder in dependence on the drawing rate ofthe drawing-off roller. The speed of the take-up winder consequentlyfollows the speed of the drawing-off roller.

It is also provided that the fiber bundle is wound up on the take-upspool layer by layer, preferably with an adjustable offset per layer, bymeans of the fiber guiding unit via the guiding roller. According to theinvention, this is achieved by the offset being fixed by the adjustableratio of the number of excursions of the fiber guide to the rotationalspeed of the take-up winder.

The offset advantageously achieves the effect that a desired woundpattern is produced on the take-up spool. This makes it possible for theunwinding of the fiber bundle from the spool to be performedunproblematically during the following further processing.

This is achieved by the fiber guide with the guiding roller being madeto travel cyclically back and forth parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe spool by means of a controllable excursion mechanism for the preciselaying of the fibers over the take-up spool. In this case it is providedthat the winding width of the fiber layers on the take-up spool issymmetrically shortened in dependence on the total number of layers byreducing the excursion of the fiber guide on both sides.

In order to achieve optimal precision winding, it is provided that, toensure a constant distance between the guiding roller and the uppermostlayer of the take-up spool, the fiber guide with the guiding roller ismade to travel continuously radially with respect to the axis ofrotation of the take-up spool by means of a controllable excursionmechanism.

In this case it is provided that the fiber guiding unit is continuouslyadapted to the changing wound-up radius, in dependence on the totalnumber of layers on the take-up spool.

The method according to the invention is developed in that, for theexchange of the take-up spool, a replacement spool is placed next to thetake-up spool on the spool axis. In this case, the fiber bundle can bepassed linearly from the full spool to the empty replacement spool in asimple way.

This is achieved by the fiber guiding unit being moved over thereplacement spool, preferably by means of a traveling table, when thespool is changed. This change is preferably performed with an excursionin the direction of the replacement spool.

Alternatively, this effect can also be achieved by the replacement spoolbeing moved under the fiber guiding unit with simultaneous displacementof the take-up spool when the spool is changed. In the case of this formof spool change, it is not necessary to move the fiber guiding unit on atraveling table.

The invention is explained below on the basis of the drawing, in which

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of the device according to theinvention.

Represented in FIG. 1 is the device 1 according to the invention formaking up a multiplicity of synchronously produced individual opticalfibers 2 from a drawing installation 3 with a take-up spool 4 and acompensating device 5.

The drawing installation 3 comprises a drawing-off roller 6. Thedrawing-off roller 6 is preceded by a sizing installation 7, whichpasses the fibers 2 through sizing baths 9 by means of sizing rollers 8.During the sizing, the fibers 2, lying in band form next to one anotheron the sizing roller 8, are wetted with a sizing agent and passed to thedrawing-off roller 6. On the drawing-off roller 6, the fibers 2 aretaken up in band form and drawn with a predetermined drawing rate. Bymeans of a secondary roller 10, the fibers 2 are deflected about thedrawing-off roller 6, in order that all the fibers 2 can be drawnuniformly. The drawing-off roller 6 consequently prescribes theadvancement with which the fibers 2 must be further processed.

From the secondary roller 10, the fibers 2 are passed in a bundledmanner via deflection rollers 11 and via the compensating device 5 tothe take-up winder 4. The compensating device 5 comprises means forcompensating for the changing speed of the fiber bundle 2. These meanscomprise a deflection roller 13 fastened on a dancing arm 12. Thedancing arm 12 is pivotably fastened at one end at a mounting point 14.The dancing arm 12 is made of elastic material and consequently ensuresthe oscillating capability of the deflection roller 13 in relation tothe pivoting movement about the mounting point 14.

For returning the dancing arm 12 into a position of equilibrium, thedancing arm 12 has an associated compensating force, which acts counterto the pivoting movement of the dancing arm 12. For this purpose, thedancing arm 12 is acted on by means of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder15 with a force F which prescribes a tension in the fiber bundle 2. Theforce F can preferably be set at the cylinder 15.

The fiber bundle 2 is passed via further deflection rollers 16 to thetake-up winder 4, where it is wound up on a take-up spool 17. Forprecise winding-up, the take-up spool 17 is preceded by a fiber guidingunit 19, which is arranged on a traveling table 18 and has a fiber guide20 and a guiding roller 21.

The fiber bundle 2 arriving from the compensating device 5 is taken upby the guiding roller 21 and laid over the take-up spool 17. For thispurpose, the guiding roller 21 is fastened on the fiber guide 20, whichdisplaces the guiding roller 21 back and forth in the direction of thelongitudinal axis of the take-up spool 17 by means of an excursionmechanism 22.

In order that the distance between the uppermost layer on the take-upspool 17 and the guiding roller 21 remains constant, the fiber guide 20is movable radially with respect to the axis of rotation of the take-upspool 17 and is moved away from the axis of the take-up spool 17 bymeans of a further excursion mechanism 24 in a way corresponding to thenumber of layers already laid.

Before a spool change, which is performed when a take-up spool 17.1 isfull, a replacement spool 17.2 is placed next to the take-up spool 17.1.The fiber guide 20 is moved in an electrically controlled manner bymeans of the excursion mechanism 22 by the traveling displacement h overthe replacement spool 17.2. After that, the full take-up spool 17.1 canbe removed and replaced by the empty spool body of the replacement spool17.2. The spool change following after that is performed in the reversesequence.

The driven components of the drawing and sizing installations 3, 7 andof the fiber guiding unit 17 and also the take-up spool 17 are driven byservo motors 23 and are controlled by means of an electronic dataprocessing unit (not represented).

If differences in speed occur between the advancement of the fibers 2 onthe drawing-off roller 6 and the fiber bundle 2 when winding up onto thetake-up spool 17, for example on account of the increasing wound radius,during a change of layer on the take-up spool 17 or during the spoolchange, the deflecting displacement of the fiber bundle 2 is reduced orincreased in a corresponding way by the compensating device 5. Thisadaptation is performed by means of the movement of the deflectionroller 13. This may involve the dancing arm 12 being pivoted at themounting point 14. These changes in speed are transmitted via an angularresolver (not represented) to an electronic speed controller, whichcorrespondingly changes the take-up rate of the take-up spool 17. Actedon by the compensating force F, the dancing arm 12 is then made totravel into its position of equilibrium again.

The oscillating capability of the deflection roller 13 in relation tothe pivoting movement of the dancing arm 12 compensates for short-termdifferences in speed. These differences in speed occur substantiallyduring the change of layers at the turning points of the layers, whenthe laying advancement is of course briefly reduced.

Differences in speed also occur system-inherently when the spool ischanged, if the fiber guiding unit 19 is made to travel at its owntraveling speed over an empty take-up spool 17. These differences inspeed are also corrected by the compensating device 5.

It is consequently possible by the measures according to the inventionof the compensating device 5 to group the fibers together into fiberbundles 2 and make them up on take-up rollers 17 without disturbinginfluences reacting on the production process. During the winding-up,looping of individual fibers in the fiber bundle 2 is avoided virtuallycompletely, as a result of which fiber bundles 2 of high optical qualitycan be produced.

The adaptation of the take-up rate to the drawing rate of thedrawing-off roller 6, the adjustability of the ratio of the number ofexcursions of the fiber guide 20 to the rotational speed of the take-upwinder 4 and the compensation for differences in position at the fiberguiding unit 19 permit precision winding, which includes both acircumferential offset of the individual layers and a continuoussymmetrical reduction of the winding width, so that any problems orinstances of destruction are also avoided during the further processing,transport, storage and later unwinding of the full take-up spools 17.

List of Designations

-   1 device-   2 individual fiber/fiber bundle-   3 drawing installation-   4 take-up winder-   5 compensating device-   6 drawing-off roller-   7 sizing installation-   8 sizing rollers-   9 sizing baths-   10 secondary roller-   11 deflection roller-   12 dancing arm-   13 deflection roller-   14 mounting point-   15 cylinder-   16 deflection roller-   17 take-up spool-   17.1 full take-up spool-   17.2 replacement spool-   18 traveling table-   19 fiber guiding unit-   20 fiber guide-   21 guiding roller-   22 excursion mechanism-   23 servo motor-   24 excursion mechanism-   h laying advancement-   F compensating force

1. A device (1) for making up a multiplicity of synchronously producedindividual optical fibers (2), in particular multicomponent glassfibers, from a multifiber drawing installation, with a drawinginstallation (3) and a take-up winder (4) for winding up the fibers (2)on a take-up spool (17), characterized in that the drawing installation(3) has means for producing an identical, constant drawing rate of thefibers (2) and in that the take-up winder (4) has a compensating device(5) to compensate for differences in speed of the fibers (2) between thedrawing installation (3) and the take-up spool (17).
 2. The device (1)as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the fibers (2) can bebrought together in the drawing installation (3) to form a fiber bundle.3. The device (1) as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, characterizedin that the take-up winder (4) has a fiber guiding unit (19) and in thatthe fiber bundle (2) can be continuously displaced on the take-up spool(17) by means of the fiber guiding unit (19).
 4. The device (1) asclaimed in one or more of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the fiberguiding unit (19) has at least one controllable excursion mechanism(22), which acts on a fiber guide (20) with a guiding roller (21) forlaying the fibers over the take-up spool (17).
 5. The device (1) asclaimed in one or more of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that thetake-up winder (4) has position-compensating means for adapting thefiber guiding unit (19) to the changing wound-up radius and/or forshortening the winding width of the layers of fiber on the take-up spool(17).
 6. The device (1) as claimed in one or more of claims 1 to 5,characterized in that the position-compensating means has at least onecontrollable excursion mechanism (24), with which the travelingdisplacement of the fiber guide (20) and/or the guiding roller (21) iscontrollable in dependence on the number of fiber layers on the take-upspool (17) parallel and/or radially in relation to the axis of rotationof the take-up spool (17).
 7. The device (1) as claimed in one or moreof claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the compensating device (5) hasmeans to compensate for the change in speed of the fiber bundle (2) whenchanging layers and/or on account of the changing wound-up radius ofdifferent layers on the take-up spool (17).
 8. The device (1) as claimedin one or more of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the means forcompensating for the change in speed has a dancing arm (12), on which adeflection roller (13) for guiding the fiber bundle (2) is rotatablyfastened and is held on the dancing arm (12) pivotably about themounting point (14) of the dancing arm (12) on one side parallel to aplane of rotation of the take-up spool (17).
 9. The device (1) asclaimed in one or more of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that thedeflection roller (13) and the take-up spool (17) have axes of rotationthat are substantially parallel to each other.
 10. The device (1) asclaimed in one or more of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that thedeflection roller (13) is held on the dancing arm (12) in such a waythat it can oscillate about the mounting point (14) in relation to thepivoting movement.
 11. The device (1) as claimed in one or more ofclaims 1 to 10, characterized in that, to ensure a predeterminedoscillating capability of the deflection roller (13) fastened to it, thedancing arm (12) is produced from elastic material with a predeterminedmodulus of elasticity, preferably from plastic.
 12. The device (1) asclaimed in one or more of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, toensure a predetermined oscillating capability of the deflection roller(13) fastened to it, the dancing arm (12) has a predetermined materialthickness and/or form of material.
 13. The device (1) as claimed in oneor more of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the dancing arm (12)has at the mounting point (14) an associated angular resolver, by meansof which data on angles of rotation can be transmitted to a speedcontroller for controlling the take-up rate of the take-up spool (17).14. The device (1) as claimed in one or more of claims 1 to 13,characterized in that the compensating device (5) for compensating fordifferences in speed and/or the position-compensating means for adaptingthe fiber guiding unit (19) can be controlled by means of a central dataprocessing unit.
 15. The device (1) as claimed in one or more of claims1 to 14, characterized in that the dancing arm (12) can be set in aposition of equilibrium during the drawing and winding-up operation bymeans of a compensating force (F), preferably a pneumatic or hydrauliccylinder (15).
 16. The device (1) as claimed in one or more of claims 1to 15, characterized in that, if there is an interruption or abnormaltermination of the drawing and taking-up operation, the dancing arm (12)can be made to travel into a neutral position by means of a compensatingforce (F), preferably a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder (15).
 17. Thedevice (1) as claimed in one or more of claims 1 to 16, characterized inthat a tension can be set in the fiber bundle (2) by means of thedancing arm (12), preferably by means of an adjustable pneumatic orhydraulic cylinder (15).
 18. The device (1) as claimed in one or more ofclaims 1 to 17, characterized in that the take-up spool (17) is fastenedin an exchangeable manner.
 19. The device (1) as claimed in one or moreof claims 1 to 18, characterized in that, for the exchange of the fulltake-up spool (17.1), a replacement spool (17.2) can be placed next tothe full take-up spool (17.1) in the direction of the spool axis and inthat the fiber guiding unit (19) can be made to travel over thereplacement spool (17.2) or the replacement spool (17.2) can be made totravel under the fiber guiding unit (19) for the further laying of thefiber bundle (2).
 20. The device (1) as claimed in one or more of claims1 to 19, characterized in that, when changing the fiber bundle (2), therotational speed of the replacement spool (17.2) can be controlled byclosed-loop and/or open-loop control from the full take-up spool (17.1)by means of the compensating device (5) via the central data processingunit.
 21. A method for making up a multiplicity of synchronouslyproduced individual optical fibers (2) with a device (1) as claimed inone or more of claims 1 to 20, the fibers (2) being coated with size andbundled and passed via deflecting means to the take-up winder (4),characterized in that the compensating device (5) is used to compensatefor differences in speed of the fiber bundle (2) between the drawinginstallation (3) and the take-up winder (4).
 22. The method as claimedin claim 21, characterized in that compensation for changes in thetake-up rate of the fiber bundle (2) on the take-up spool (17) isprovided by the speed controller, by means of the data provided by theangular resolver, by changing the rotational speed of the take-up spool(17) and/or by transmitting to the speed controller a signal forstopping the take-up winder (4) corresponding to the neutral position ofthe dancing arm (12).
 23. The method as claimed in either of claims 21and 22, characterized in that, to produce a constant tensile stress, theindividual fibers (2) are passed from the drawing installation (3) inband form over at least one sizing roller (8).
 24. The method as claimedin one or more of claims 21 to 23, characterized in that the individualfibers (2) are drawn all together, with the same drawing rate in eachcase, by means of the drawing-off roller (6) and passed via a secondaryroller (10) in a bundled manner to the take-up winder (4).
 25. Themethod as claimed in one or more of claims 21 to 24, characterized inthat the fiber bundle (2) is wound up on the take-up spool (17) layer bylayer, preferably with an adjustable offset per layer, by means of thefiber guiding unit (19) via the guiding roller (21).
 26. The method asclaimed in claim 25, characterized in that the offset is fixed by theadjustable ratio of the number of excursions of the fiber guide (20) tothe rotational speed of the take-up winder (4).
 27. The method asclaimed in one or more of claims 21 to 26, characterized in that thefiber guide (20) with the guiding roller (21) is made to travelcyclically back and forth parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spoolby means of a controllable excursion mechanism (22) for the preciselaying of the fibers (2) over the take-up spool (17).
 28. The method asclaimed in claim 27, characterized in that the winding width of thefiber layers on the take-up spool (17) is symmetrically shortened independence on the total number of layers by reducing the excursion ofthe fiber guide on both sides.
 29. The method as claimed in one or moreof claims 21 to 28, characterized in that, to ensure a constant distancebetween the guiding roller (21) and the uppermost layer of the take-upspool (17), the fiber guide (20) with the guiding roller (21) is made totravel continuously radially with respect to the axis of rotation of thetake-up spool (17) by means of a controllable excursion mechanism (24.30. The method as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that the fiberguiding unit (19) is continuously adapted to the changing wound-upradius, in dependence on the total number of layers on the take-up spool(17).
 31. The method as claimed in one or more of claims 21 to 30,characterized in that, for the exchange of the full take-up spool(17.1), a replacement spool (17.2) is placed next to the full take-upspool (17.1) on the spool axis.
 32. The method as claimed in one or moreof claims 21 to 31, characterized in that the fiber guiding unit (19) ismoved over the replacement spool (17.2), preferably by means of atraveling table (18), when the spool is changed.
 33. The method asclaimed in one or more of claims 21 to 31, characterized in that thereplacement spool (17.2) is moved under the fiber guiding unit (19) withsimultaneous displacement of the take-up spool (17.1) when the spool ischanged.